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HTP or Miller??

something portable. Ok I no its a Miller forum and I am a Miller owner but I'm curious about the HTP invertig 221 verses a machine like a dynasty 200.ive done a little research and found nothing bad at all about the htp.Just wanting some honest opinions from people with some experience on them or someone with knowledge about them. You guys enlighten me I'm about to buy one I've only ever tiged AC on Lincoln precision tig welders. I'm wanting something portable.

Tradeoffs....

There are some tradeoffs that you might consider....

If you need to sell or trade up... Miller equipment keeps a VERY high resale value...
maybe not so much for this Italian import...
Why is it that even 20-30 year old Miller equipment is in high demand and still brings top dollar in the used market??..

If your welder needs service or repair... Miller has hundreds of local authorized repair stations with trained.. Customer Service Techs...
as opposed to the HTP where the machine must be shipped back to the importer in Illinois for service and repair...

There is a reason for the price difference...

so... how much would you be really saving long term..??

Anything??

just a couple of things to think about before you decide...

Last edited by H80N; 04-24-2014 at 06:55 PM.

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*******************************************
The more you know, The better you know, How little you know......

“The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten”

Buy the best tools you can afford.. Learn to use them to the best of your ability.. and take care of them...

Every thing I read from owners says the 221 is a great machine. I have purchased a couple of AD hoods and a Tig torch from HTP, and their service is 2nd to none.

I agree with that. The HTP 221 has some nice features the Miller does not have. So you gain in the area of performance. Not everybody cares for how the Dynasty 200 welds, so you might what to try them both, to see what camp you fall in.I believe you can return the HTP, if you do not like it. Hard to match that support right there.

I've read their stuff.
I see that you can adjust the EN and the EP separately. And it has a whole bunch of memory.
For the work I do, being stuck on one type of arc and splitting the polarity doesn't justify all that many memory settings.
I like the arcs (or waves) Miller offers. I use advance most times myself, but on castings I switch to sine. I consider wave switching to be a much more desireable feature than polarity variance. Or whatever you call it. I know how to adjust my welder so I don't care for a ton of stored settings. The 350 has more than I really need. Some is nice tho and I do use them.
The lower amps on the Dynasty 200 sucks. The price on the 280 sucks.
The weight and size of the 350 sucks for portable, altho it has all the features I want!!
Nothing has it all.....every one is a compromise IMO. But they are all getting better IMO.....YMMV

After buying the right Miller, there is little risk you'll say to yourself; "Gee I really wish I had bought a HTP."
After buying any HTP odds are strong you'll say; "Gee I wish I had bought a Miller."
It is possible to buy the wrong Miller. You won't go wrong if you buy the right Miller.

I have a MM252, a Bobcat 250, and a Dynasty 280 DX. They weren't cheap, but I'll never regret the purchase. The cost hurts briefly, then pleasure takes over. They perform well year after year.

Take a close look at the HTP manual ,"Electrical ConnectionYour Invertig 221 AC/DC operates on single-phase 230 voltpower (+/- 15%). The machine is not shipped with a plug.The input power cord has 3 wires. The yellow-green wireis ground, and the blue and brown wires are the hot leads.The machine will draw 36 amps out of the wall when operatingat a welding output of 220 amps in the tig mode and 44amps when welding at an output of 200 amps in the stickmode.The Invertig 221 DV has the ability to operate on either 115 or230 volts. All you need to do is change the plug. When wiringthe machine for 115 volts, blue is the neutral, brown is the hot,and yellow green is the ground, and for 230 volt applications,the yellow-green wire is ground, and the blue and brownwires are the hot leads.On 230 volts, the machine will draw 26 amps out of the wallwhen operating at a welding output of 220 amps in the tigmode and 32 amps when welding at an output of 200 amps inthe stick mode.On 115 volts, the output must be limited to 130 amps in the tigwelding mode to run on a 30 amp breaker, 65 amps to run ona 20 amp breaker, and 67 amps to run on a 15 amp breaker. Inthe stick mode, the output must be limited to 100 amps to runon a 30 amp breaker, 65 amps to run on a 20 amp breaker, and50 amps to run on a 15 amp breaker.All electrical connections should be performed by aqualified electrician in accordance with the NationalElectrical Code and local codes and ordinances." it's no Dynasty.

Answer: Miller!

... I'm curious about the HTP invertig 221 verses a machine like a dynasty 200...

The only thing I know for sure about the HTP is that it costs about $1000 less than a comparably equipped 200DX.

I don't know how good the HTP performs or how reliable it is, but I do know that the 200DX's performance is excellent and that it is reliable.

I don't know what kind of service HTP offers. They don't have a forum. They don't even have a Service tab on their home page! As for the 200DX, you can bring it to your LWS or get help from forum members or Miller itself from this forum when you have a problem.

So, I think the known advantages of the 200DX are well worth the extra money.

Lastly, if you get the HTP and it develops a problem you will have to pack it up and send it to Illinois and pay round trip shipping and then wait. Given that right now USA Weld does not even have the Invertig 221 in stock, I wouldn't expect fast turnaround service from this outfit.

I have used Miller and Hobart equipment, and I have three of their machines now. HTP is top notch, but their 221 is out of my price range, as is Miller. I know that their President answers the phone and returns calls even on the weekend, and he has been known to open up on Saturday to help someone in a bind. I would not have a problem buying from either Miller or HTP.